Principal's Report
Welcome to the 2025 school year. How quickly the school has settled into the routines of school life.
I would like to welcome new Camp Hill families to our school. I am sure that you will quickly make connections within our community and I look forward to meeting you in the near future. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions that you may have – it is important that you have clear understanding of school life.
As you will be aware the school is busy with a number projects across our facilities: new Junior campus playground; upgrades on Junior campus to build in disability toilets and disability access from the carpark on Wiles Street and painting. The school had considerable storm damage from the localised storm that hit Camp Hill in the latter part of the school holidays – the impact was quite considerable. Our support staff have been working on securing the site in readiness for the students' return – which took the team away from their planned activities to prepare the grounds after the vacation. Our focus was on safety, and having such large grounds did present some issues.
We recieved great news today, witht he hand-over of the new Prep playground. Thank you to the P&C for purchasing this great resource for us. We need to wait for the grass to establish. However, next week will see the Prep students being taught how to safely play on the playground. The Year 1 students (had input into the design and colour of this playground last year when they were in Prep), so their teachers will organise time for them to play on it throughout the term. The fencing will be removed by the end of next week allowing Prep students to play on during playtimes.
As we do every year, the school is closely monitoring our enrolments in preparation for the Department of Education Day 8 enrolment audit. Data from Day 8 informs (confirmed) staffing allocations to all State schools in Queensland.
This year we welcome new staff to our school:
+ Erin Hulmes (Year 2)
+ Angela Gilpin (Year 3)
+ Steven Torrance (Year 6)
+ Richard Knippe – Physical Education (from Week 6/Term 1)
We will also be saying farewell to Mr Bourke from his role in Physical Education as he moves to northern Queensland. Mr Richard Knippe will take up the role of PE teacher from Week 6 this term. We will send out additional information to families regarding PE lessons in the near future.
Please ensure that you introduce yourself to the new members of our school community.
On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome I have received since returning to work after the motor vehicle accident last year. It is just so nice to be back at school!!
I wish you the very best and look forward to meeting families in the coming weeks.
Best wishes
Deborah
Deborah Driver (Principal)
SOME HOUSEKEEPING
1. Medication
If your child requires medication at school please see the administration staff in either campus to ensure that we have all the necessary paperwork to administration the medication.
2. Medical conditions
The school requires families to notify us of any medical conditions that your child may have so that we can ensure appropriate responses if required. A Health Care plan is also required.
3. Allergies
Please notify the office if your child has an identified allergy. We require a Health Care plan with current medication to ensure that your child receives the most appropriate care during school hours.
4. Legal paperwork
We ask parents to provide any legal paperwork, Court Orders, to the office so that we can enact the Court directives. These documents are held in a confidential place and I encourage you to speak with Mrs Wills (DP Senior Campus); Mrs Tuckett (DP Junior Campus) or Mrs Lloyd (DP Inclusion) if you have any concerns.
5. Munch and Crunch
This is for new families to our school – the school (like most schools in Queensland) has a Much and Crunch session each morning. We ask that you provide food for Munch and Crunch separate to your child/ren main lunch. We have found that the students (particularly younger ones) are hungry in the first session and this food boost certainly is appreciated.
6. Pick Up and Collection of students
Thank you to our families for being so efficient with the drop off and collection of your children. Prep students are required to be dropped off and picked up (except in the case of others attending OSHC) by an identified adult. This is for the children’s safety and comfort (they do like to know who is collecting them).
If you arrive after the commencement of the school day you are required to go to the administration office (Junior or Senior campus) and collect a late slip for your child. This is a safety measure.
Likewise, if you wish to collect your child before the end of the school day it is important to go to the relevant administration office to arrange for their collection. Please do not go to the classroom. The office staff will then log in their early exit.
7. Safety Drills
Each term the school will conduct an Emergency Drill and a Lock Down drill. These practices enable the students to gain confidence in the necessary responses if an occasion occurred during the school year. In Term 1, these drills are announced prior to the drill to ensure that the students are aware of the expectations of them. I have to say that I have always been so impressed with our community response to these drills.
8. P&C school calendar
Our wonderful P&C have produced a 2025 school calendar for all members of our school community. The calendar enables families to forward plan across the year and I know is highly valued. A special thank you to the P&C for allocation time, effort and finances towards this project.
9. Mobile Phones
All families would be aware of the Queensland Government policy on mobile phones at school. At Camp Hill, students are required to drop off their personal device at the school administration office upon arrival at school and to collect them at the end of the school day. The administration team will ensure that any messages are sent to the child’s class.
10. Stop Drop Go Zone (Ferguson Road)
The school provides supervision of the Zone each afternoon until 3.30pm. At that time, any remaining students will go to the school administration office and parents contacted.
11. OSHC
Please ensure that you share any OSHC related message with the OSHC team directly. The team our exceptional in the management of their program.
12. 2026 Prep
We will be taking applications for enrolment (in-catchment and out of catchment) 2026 Prep year from Monday 3 February. Please contact the office if you have any queries. We look forward to welcoming our 2026 prep families.
13. Step Up
Our highly valued Step Up program does not commence until Week 3 of term and the staff are supporting students and classes across campus for the first two weeks of term.
14. Water
Thank you to all families for providing your child/ren with appropriate water containers – they are certainly appreciated and being well used during the hotter days.
15. Meetings with teachers
There will be both a year level Parent Information Session and Meet Your Teacher session for all families this term. If you wish to meet with your teacher out of these sessions, please contact them to arrange a mutually convenient time as teachers are unable to have meaningful conversations while supervising their classes. If you wish to arrange a time to meet with a member of the school leadership team, please contact the administration office to arrange a mutually convenient time.
16. New families to our school
In 2025 we have a number of families new to our school – I encourage families to reach out to the newer members of our school community. I know that our community has a very strong (and well-deserved) reputation for being supportive and caring. This is something that I admire greatly.
17. Creative Dance
In 2025, the school staff will be teaching the Australian Curriculum Dance unit. The Department of Education provides instruction, at no cost, for all assessable units of the Australian Curriculum – which Dance is in 2025. In recent years the school worked with an outside provider to deliver the Dance unit across all year levels. There was a cost to parents for their child/rens participation in the unit. As the Dance unit is an assessable unit this is no longer an option.
During the year students will have the opportunity to participate in incursions and excursions which support, or consolidate, units within the curriculum. These incursions and excursions are to enhance the units of learning within the Australian Curriculum and are not used as part of their assessment. Parents have the option of including their child/ren in these additional activities.
School Principal